Save the Last Dance
by AlyssC01
Summary: SkylaSkyler. During a festival, Skyla misses Skyler, and lives through some memories. Not related to my other fics. Please read and review. SAF


_TITLE: Save the Last Dance…_

_AUTHOR: AlyssC01 – Alyssa C. _

_CATEGORY: Drama_

_PAIRINGS: Skyla/Skyler_

_SPOILERS: None. _

_RATING: Let's say PG 13. _

_WARNINGS: None safe for that the author is depressed and in the mood to take it out on someone - so be prepared for anything. _

_STATUS: Complete._

_FEEDBACK: Please, please please please!! I'll send you a gift in facebook if you do. ;) _

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sky Dancers, not even the DVD because they are not available in my country and not in the region my country uses. Sky Dancers are the property of Gaumont © 1996. I do not make money out of this. Not even a little. In fact, it's costing me some. :P Cruel world isn't it? All original plot lines and characters are the property of the author. Who is in the process of getting her own copy right so beware. ;) _

_AN: It's cold, it's dark. It's 5:30am and I'm sitting next to a closed building that should've been open where 35 chicks, one day old, are waiting for me to feed them. I'm the first one here of 45 students. It's 3 degrees Celsius. I have two choices. Scream. Throw a tantrum my red hair gives me an excuse to do or… Write._

_Alright. This story does not link up with the rest of my Sky Dancers stories or the universe that I created there with Joanie-Ellen. This is partly by request of Amelie de Lorraine who asked that I write more Skyla and Skyler fics. I do so with love, though I'm not sure if this is what she had in mind. With that, please read on. Oh. Uncharacteristic to the way I like writing, I'm jumping between scenes a lot. Generally, every second paragraph is in the past. Every other in the present. Please review. The plot bunnies need to be fed. _

**Save the Last Dance… **

Colours.   
Music.  
People.  
Pain.

She closed her eyes and touched her forehead, trying to block out the sickening combination at the very same time she tried to take it all in. The Festival of the Light. A sacred day in the wingdom. One to be celebrated from dusk till dawn. One to remember the times past, but look ahead to the future. A day of celebration, of life - but for her, of memory and mourning. She closed her eyes, and remembered…

&&&

_She was dancing, her feet carrying her higher than her wings ever had. Skyla laughed gleefully in the arms of her partner but looked around immediately, searching for another. He was there – also dancing with another. _

_His hair was growing but he kept his face shaven.  
Her Skyler.  
Her husband.  
Her life.  
She laughed again, but this time not at the polite chatter her dance partner was making. She laughed because _of_ life. She laughed because of the love that felt as if it would overwhelm her soul. The love that was alive. As alive as the colours that swirled around them, as alive as the music that flowed around them. As alive as the look in his eyes when he found her and smiled. _

_Alive. _

_She laughed.  
She felt alive. _

&&&

She felt sick.

Skyla took a deep breath and took her hand away from her face. She looked around the festive hall and sighed. She should be dancing and enjoying herself. She should follow the lead of her Sky Dancers and make as much of this holiday as she could. But, somehow – she couldn't. She hurt too much. She hurt in so many places that she could not even decide whether it physical hurt or the memory of all the loss that had happened between the various times she had celebrated the Festival of the Light. She touched her face again and looked at the glove on her hand.

_Too much._ She realised darkly. This glove has cost her too much. For a moment she felt the urge to remove it. For a moment, she found herself reaching out with her other hand and pulling the pink velvet like material over her wrist but she stopped and pulled it back.  
She couldn't.

Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and looked out of the window.  
It was almost dawn, she realized. Almost time for the last dance.

The last…

&&&

"_Are you enjoying yourself, your Highness?" His voice send shivers down her spine, his presence enflamed her emotions. Skyla turned around and smiled. _

"_Indeed…" she grinned mischievously. "Your Highness." _

_Skyler smiled at her, the hair he finally decided to grow in the custom of the wingdom hanging in his eyes. Impulsively she reached up and pushed some out of his face. _

"_It seems… My liege… That my dance card is full for the evening." Her hand travelled down and cupped his cheek. "What are you to do?" _

_He kept on smiling at her, that beautiful exclusive smile that he only reserved for her. "I am not surprised," he said. "You are by far the best dancer on the floor. I do seem to have a problem." He breathed a suffered sigh and looked around the room. "Point out those who have booked you and I shall have them beheaded immediately." _

_Skyla laughed and patted his cheek. _

"_A lady never tells," she said, then laughed and leaned her head against his chest. For a brief moment she had the urge to hug him, to hold him and never let go. "I might be able to arrange something you know." Her hand strayed to his shirt and smoothed out some imaginary folds. She felt his hand travel down her back and rest on her hip. A delicately improper public display of affections. _

"_Oh?" She felt more than heard him murmur. "And, what is that?" _

_Skyla smiled and pushed her head up against his chin. _

"_Would my liege be interested in a bargain?" _

_His hand traced her hip, lingering in a spot he knew all to well. She shivered, impulsively pulling away from him. _

"_If you make it worth my while." _

_They were young and in love, filled with passion and few public scruples.   
Skyla stepped away from him and smiled up at the man she had promised to spend her life with. _

"_The last dance," she said. "I'll give you the last dance. If… You give me your heart." _

_He laughed then, softly – deeply. _

"_You already have it," he said. "But, perhaps… My soul? I will give my soul to you woman, if you promise me the last dance. Always." _

&&&

It had seemed like such an innocent promise and it was so easy to keep. Those words, spoken amidst a crowd of their followers in a gist or perhaps a hint of foreplay – but nothing more at that time. Yet, she somehow kept her promise. For two years, she saved the last dance for him. Every last dance of every festival, every dance and every party that they attended. Skyla stood up and noticed that her Sky Dancers immediately shifted from their separate positions.

Angelica and Breeze had been dancing, celebrating their youthful love, yet when she stood up she saw them both turn towards her ever so slightly, as if they had been aware of her the whole time. She waved at them to carry on dancing and turned her attention to the others who had noticed that she was preparing to leave.

She first waved at Slam, who had been sitting with Jade. He had the raven haired girl's head in his lap and was quietly running his fingers through her hair, an action he would never do when she was awake. Skyla motioned to him to stay down and stay where he was. She could not steal that precious moment from them. She did not understand why they couldn't come together, why one of them could not just go as far as to bend a little bit more in the other's direction.

But, their love was as it is.  
Deep, caring but distant. It was like a secret that everybody knew, but nobody spoke of.  
She sighed and turned her attention to the last.  
Camille was not as easily put off and fell in next to her.

"Are you alright Queen Skyla?" she asked in a low voice. "Are you… Do you hurt?"

She realized quite suddenly that she was pressing against her side – the ghost of a memory standing behind her.

She could feel Skyler's ghostly hand in her back…

&&&

"_Maybe you should stay here tonight my love." Skyler said as he walked up behind her where she was struggling with the last of the jewellery she insisted on putting on herself. "You do not look well. The public will understand. It's just one festival."_

_She looked back at him and smiled weakly. _

"_But, it is the Festival of the Light," she commented. "It's… Special Skyler. I do feel better, that pain's away. Besides, the public might forgive me but the critiques won't." _

_Skyler laughed against her and briefly lay his head against hers, watching them in the mirror. _

"_Are you still worked up about that paper that had been distributed?" _

_Her snort would've been enough of an answer for him but she completed it with a fiery torrent of words. _

"_It had been distributed all over the wingdom," she snapped. "The man called me pampered, short sighted and spineless. "For people who had never seen or met me, that will be their first impression!" _

_Skyler chuckled again, softly. _

"_My dear beloved," he said. "Nobody will believe that you are spineless once they see you. You are the bravest woman I know." He placed his hand in her hip and squeezed. She was surprised at the sudden sharp pain that travelled all the way down her leg. She drew in a sharp breath and would've gone to her knees of Skyler didn't hold her up. He stood staring at her surprised for a moment before he gently, but firmly – guided her to the bed. _

"_That's it," he said. "You are not going tonight. You are not better Skyla - that pain's still there. I'll get your ladies in waiting to come help you undress." _

_She would've protested had she not been busy trying to will the pain away. Taking deep and steady breaths she closed her eyes and swallowed. _

"_I'm fine Skyler." She tried to sooth her worried husband. "I'm really alright. Please, do not concern yourself." _

_He gave her an uncharacteristically blank look. _

"_It's too late for that," he said dryly. "I'm calling for the Tinker." _

_At that she did protest and quickly held up her hand._

"_No Skyler, please…" _

&&&

She had to focus to get the name right.

"No," she said quickly. "No, _Camille_. No I'm fine. I am just…" She sighed and forced herself to stand straight and ignore the phantom pains in her side. "I am just tired. It is almost time for the last dance?"

Camille nodded and glanced into the hall.

"Two more," she said, "I've been following the program. It's remarkably planned out. A whole night of… Celebrating."

Skyla smiled at the brief wonder in her student's voice and touched the younger woman's arm.

"It is," she said. "The dances of the Festival are planned out so that when the sun had just risen above the horizon the last dance ends. It is something to see, especially if you look through those windows."   
She motioned to the largest windows in the chamber, causing Camille to look at them in apprehension.

"It's starting to become lighter outside," she remarked randomly. "Can I take you anywhere?"

Skyla smiled and shook her head, fighting the ghost of her memory.

"No," she said. "I think… I'm just going. Please, stay here. Stay for the last dance, and find a partner. It's considered good luck to dance through it."

Camille's dark eyes were worried.

"What about you?"

Skyla smiled sadly and shook her head.

"I… I think I'm just going to the dais."

There was comprehension in Camille's eyes. And compassion. She sighed sadly and stepped closer to the woman. Whether to give comfort or to receive a little Skyla wasn't sure. She sometimes felt guilty that she exposed her students to the pain she carried with her. They were too young, too innocent to be ruined by what she had in her.

"Should I come with you?" Camille asked unbidden.

Skyla shook her head and touched the girl's shoulder. "Not tonight," she said. "Please Camille, I need… I need to be there alone. Please. Enjoy it here. Do not think about me."

Camille shook her head and firmly took the hand on her shoulder.

"We always think about you," she said, her voice suddenly intense. "Always Dame Skyla. You are very dear to us and very close to our hearts. It… You don't need to go alone tonight."

She understood what the girl was telling her and appreciated the gesture immensely but…

"Not tonight Camille," she insisted gently, but realised that she had to compromise. "Bring me coffee later on. When the sun is up. Maybe even breakfast." She winked at the girl, then carefully leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Before her protector could say anything else Skyla quickly walked out.

When she was outside she took a deep breath and flew up. She could find the spot with her eyes closed and automatically turned towards the dais where she and Skyler had gotten married.

He was waiting for her there – his ghostly impression standing against the railing as he had seemingly so many years ago. He was surprised to see her and immediately ran down the steps to meet her as she landed. The ghost of him did not make it past the steps but remained there – waiting.

"_What are you doing here?"_ She remembered more than heard him ask. _"You should be asleep Skyla. How do you feel?"_

She stepped up to him, raising her hand to his. Not touching, not feeling.

"I am alright," she whispered, lost in the memory. "I promised."

He shook his head but led her up the stairs.

"_My soul is not worth this,"_ he said. _"You make me feel cheap…"_

&&&

_They danced until the sun was above the horizon and watched it climb just a little bit higher before they finally spoke, breaking the spell of the festival. _

"_You should get back into bed," he said. "My darling, you are as pale as a sheet." _

_She turned and held a hand in front of his lips. _

"_Not yet," she said. "Just one more moment. One more moment of peace." _

_Skyler sighed patronizingly and wrapped his arms around her. _

"_Just one more moment then," he said. "But, you must know. We have a pretty peaceful kingdom. These moments aren't that precious you know." _

_He was mocking her. _

_Skyla smiled and leaned against him, taking the weight off of her one side. _

"_Oh, I think they will become more precious soon enough. We might have a peaceful kingdom but I suspect we will not have a peaceful palace."_

_He was a bit slow on the uptake. _

"_Don't tell me your relatives are moving in…" _

_She pumped him in the ribs. _

"_I don't have any relatives," she said without hurt. "And, it will be our relatives. Or relative."  
She could feel him tensing. _

"_Who?" he queried suspicious. "I mean who…"  
She smiled to herself and shrugged. She leaned against him more, the pain was getting worse. _

"_Well, technically I haven't met this relative yet. But, I know it's coming. I'm very late Skyler. And… I was at the Tinker earlier in the week. That's why I didn't want to see him tonight." _

_He was quiet for a long time. She had waited especially for this day to tell him, knowing that it would be more special. And, she was superstitious perhaps. She felt as if she needed all the luck that she could get for the task ahead of her.  
Of her, Skyla Zavere, as mother. _

_He laughed suddenly startling her. With one mighty heave he picked her up and swirled her around. The pain suddenly became unbearable but she could not rob this moment from him. _

"_You mean I'm… A father?" _

_She tried to laugh when he put her down and shook her head. _

"_Not yet silly," she breathed. "It has to be born first." _

_He laughed again, turned her around so that he could see her face and kissed her. She leaned into the kiss but had to stop, the pain taking her breath away. Without warning, her knees buckled underneath her. Before Skyler could catch her she crumbled to the ground, grimacing in pain. He blinked at her surprised then sank down. _

"_Skyla!" he queried surprised. "Skyla? What's wrong…" _

_She felt something hot flow down the inside of her leg… _

&&&

But she didn't this time.  
Skyla realised quite suddenly that the pain she was feeling was real, and it had nothing to do with the memory holding her. Still, for a moment it was all around her and she could still see Skyler standing over her, looking around panicked for anybody who might help.

"I'm sorry Skyler," she whispered as she bended over in pain, clutching her side. "I'm so sorry."

His eyes were filled with fear as he looked down at her, now looking like person she had last seen facing his brother in a deadly stand off.   
He bent down next to her and touched her head.

"I'll get help," he whispered softly and kissed her on her head. "Just stay still my love, I will get help."

&&&

There was a man standing over her, watching her. His eyes were intense, clinical, as if he was taking apart every inch of her. Then, suddenly, he leaned forward and put his face close to hers.

"Skyla is dying."

Jade jerked awake with a muted cry, startling Slam and hitting her head against his chest. She looked around surprised and sat up, touching her neck.

"Slam!" she called, still disorientated. "Slam!"

The young man wrapped his arms around her, steadying her.

"Whoa there love!" he said. "Easy there, its okay. I'm here… It was just a nightmare."

Jade looked at him bewildered then looked around, it was already morning and there were very few people left on the dance floor. The only people she recognized were Angelica and Breeze and Camille in the arms of an unknown wingdom guard.

"Where's Skyla?" she queried. "Have you seen her?"

Slam frowned and shook his head. "She left just before dawn. Camille told me she went to the dais to be alone. Or… With…" he sighed. "King Skyler I guess." All the Sky Dancers knew that she was haunted by his presence and it pained them that there was precious little that they could do for her.

Jade sat back, breathing hard.

"I think he was in my dreams," she said. "There was a man. A wingdom man. He… We have to go there Slam!"

She didn't wait for him but ran outside immediately. Slam stared after her then turned to his friends and whistled.

"Yo!" he shouted above the hall clamour and music. "Guys we're going to Skyla!"

They stopped immediately and, sharing a panicked look, quickly followed Jade.

&&&

_The Tinker was hovering over her, Faolin, her lady-in-waiting, was sponging down her face with a wet cloth. And her husband, her love – was standing to the side, running his hand through his hair, his face pale with fear. _

"_What's happening?" he asked panicked. "Tinker, what is happening?" _

_She tried to meet his gaze, tell him that it will be okay but the pain was overwhelming as the tinker probed her abdomen. She took in a sharp breath and tried to sit up but Faolin pushed her down at the same time Skyler practically ran to her side and placed his hands on her shoulders._

"_It's okay." he whispered soothingly. "It's going to be okay my love…"  
She closed her eyes as the Tinker threw a blanket over her legs and moved to her more intimate places. _

"_How long have she had this pain?" he queried as he examined her. "Has she bled before?" _

_Skyler wasn't looking at him, but kept his eyes on her face. _

"_Two days," he said… "No. Three. At first she thought it was something she ate. But, it kept getting worse. I wanted to call you last night but she insisted that I don't. Because it was the festival. She didn't want to… She stayed in bed till dawn… We danced…"  
The Tinker made a soothing sound. _

"_It's not your fault son," he said, his expression grim. "She's loosing a lot of blood. We better act quickly. Call your mother and get the Skyswirlstone."  
Skyler turned to look at him. _

"_She told me she's pregnant."  
The Tinker nodded sadly… _

&&&

She was lying on the couch in his living room, her face beaded with sweat. The pain was excruciating, crippling. She had to concentrate very hard not to pull herself up into a small bundle. Yet, she forced herself to stay calm, forced herself to think beyond it. She opened her eyes and looked at the Tinker who was carefully probing her abdomen.

He gave her a gentle smile and shook his head as if reprimanding her with his body alone.

"How long have you had this pain?" he queried. "Can you tell me?"

She swallowed and shook her head, unable to answer.

The Tinker sighed and pushed her shirt down. He turned to the Sky Dancers who were all hovering close by.

"I think it's her appendix," he said. "Either it's ruptured or it's in the process of rupturing."

"Is that bad?" Angelica queried worried.  
Breeze nodded, his face pale. "It's deadly Angelica. It's very serious."

Slam looked at the Tinker. "Can you fix it?"

The Tinker shook his head.

"We don't have the skill here," he said. "Not for such a major operation. We have to take her to your home but…"

Skyla closed her eyes and weakly reached out to take the old man's hand.

"I can take us home," she whispered. "Don't scare them."

The Tinker looked at her, worry clouding all emotion in his eyes. With a sigh, he motioned for her to try and sit up. He had to help her and Camille stepped forward as well.

"You should've told me that you hurt Dame Skyla," she whispered accusingly. Breathing through her teeth, Skyla closed her eyes as they pulled her up. She struggled not to double over when she was standing. She didn't know how she was going to fly.

"I didn't know that it was real," she whispered, but more to herself. Camille frowned at her but she could not explain further. Her student turned a questioning look on the Tinker who just shook his head. He would not tell them.

"I'll go with you," he said. "I want to keep monitoring you until you are in the care of another doctor." Skyla managed to smile at him and briefly clasped his shoulder.  
The Tinker smiled at her, gently and reassuringly. He returned her touch and whispered softly: "It will go better this time…"

Skyla laughed bitterly as Jade put a blanket around her shoulders and Breeze – the largest and strongest of her students carefully picked her up.

"It can't go any worse," she breathed painfully.

&&&

It was much later and they were all cramped into a small waiting room at the nearest hospital. It had been a nerve wrecking couple of hours. They had managed to reach the place of crossing in what they considered to be a record time, but Skyla had had trouble moving them from worlds. The pain had been too great and she had struggled concentrating in someone's arms. She had finally insisted on flying on her own and had, they guessed, by the sheer force of will that had kept her alive after her husband died, remained in the air long enough to send them home. The moment they had all appeared in the Music room though, she had collapsed into the Tinker's arms and they had struggled to rouse her. They had acted quickly, had phoned the ambulance and called the school doctor but his diagnosis had been the same.  
Get her to a hospital as quickly as possible.  
They did that.  
They had all piled into Angelica's and Slam's cars and sped to the closest hospital, all the while cursing the fact that the school was so secluded. Skyla had been disturbingly quiet but they held onto the fact that it was from pain. Jade had had the sense to phone ahead to the hospital and warn them that they were coming. When they stopped there – the ER staff took Skyla away immediately, leaving them to fill out the forms they didn't quite know how to answer and with a possibility they weren't prepared to deal with.

They were alone in the waiting room for two hours before someone finally spoke. Up until then they had just been sitting in silence.

Jade sat up a bit from where she had been sitting on the table closest to the window and looked around. When she noticed that they were still alone she sighed and spoke in general.

"What do you think they'll do here if they realise they have a real queen here?"  
Angelica snorted, momentarily lifting her head from Breeze's shoulder.

"Call E-News," she said. "Or Oprah."

Slam snorted and stopped throwing the tiny bouncing ball he had found in his pocket against the wall.

"And _she'll_ try to curtsey, then give everybody free books. Or crowns. For the occasion."

Camille barked a laugh but didn't say anything to the story they were building and rather turned to the Tinker who was sitting on a single chair, his hands wrapped around Skyla's pink glove.

"Why didn't she realize that she was hurting?" she asked, her voice tight. "I mean… It must've hurt… Why didn't she tell me? I asked her." There was a tone of betrayal behind her words.

The Tinker hesitated then sighed and slipped the glove into his pocket. He was dressed in a faded, old suit and tweed cap that didn't quite fit together, especially not with his long hair and beard.

"It is… Has nothing to do with her confidence in you dear Camille," he said gently. "It has to do with her lack of confidence in herself."

Breeze frowned and sat up, touching Angelica's leg as he did.

"How's that?" he queried.

The Tinker sighed again and sat forward again, clenching his hands together.

"Skyla tends to get… Phantom pains over this time of the year. During the Festival of the Light. She didn't realize that she was really hurting until it was too late."

The other Sky Dancers were looking at him with shocked expression.

"Phantom pains?" Angelica queried. "What like, what does that mean?"

The Tinker's eyes remained gentle, almost sympathetic as he looked at the group. "She might not appreciate me telling you," he said. "But, I feel that you must know and that you will respect what I tell you now – in confidence." When they nodded as one the Tinker continued. "Four years ago on the morning of the Festival, just before Skyclone started his assault for the wingdom, Skyla had a miscarriage. Or, an ectopic pregnancy. That is when the foetus does not attach itself to the womb but rather in the small tubes above it. The fallopian tubes. She apparently had some cramps two days before hand and then, that evening, it became worst. Her tube ruptured that morning and we had to bring her here, otherwise she would've died."

A look of horror had fixed itself on each of Skyla's student's faces.

"No…" Jade whispered softly. "That's… Terrible."

Slam shook his head.

"Is that why she gets the pains?" he queried. "Like… Memory. Like the way she's haunted by Skyler only this is more of a physical memory."

The Tinker nodded sadly, causing Slam to curse.

"That is so messed up," he said. "That's just so messed up."

Angelica took her hand from her mouth, too horrified to speak immediately. Unable to voice what she wanted she looked at Camille who must've had the same question.

"How does she deal with that?" she breathed. "All that hurt, all that pain. How… How does she carry on?"

The Tinker could not answer her.

&&&

She wasn't asleep, but it felt like a dream.  
She knew she was in hospital but she had struggled to remember when. Conflicting memories and emotions, along with what she thought was quite a large concoction of pain killers wasn't a very good combination.

And, he was there – sitting on a chair in the sun, watching her. She sighed and shifted slightly, wondering why her back was so sore if they had cut on her abdomen. She closed her eyes and willed him to go away, but when she opened them again he was still there, watching. She sighed, and closed her eyes.

"You left me," she said weakly, her throat was sore and she realised suddenly that oxygen was slowly being fed into her nose through thin plastic tubing.

She did not look at him but she could sense him come closer to her.

"I had to get help," he whispered.

She shook her head weakly, opening her eyes.

"Not now," she breathed. "Then Skyler. You left me _then_. And now. You will leave me now, when the medicine wears off and reason returns to my mind." She sighed and closed her eyes again. "I wish that I had died, the last time I was here."

His shock was palatable.

"No!" he said sharply. "No beloved, what makes you say that? You have no right to say that."

She opened her eyes and gave him the full intensity of her glare.

"And what gives you the right to say that?" she queried. "You left me Skyler. You left me with an empty womb, a duty I did not want and a broken heart. How dare you say that? When you were the one who left me. When you were the one who died."

His eyes were troubled and hers were filled with sudden tears.

"Why do you say that now?" he queried. "It has been some time Skyla. You've been so strong. Why now?"

She blinked, feeling the warm tears flow down her temples.

"The pain Skyler," she breathed. "And the emptiness. It has become too much. I… I can't. It hurts so much and there is nothing that I can do alleviate it. Nothing."

"Nothing?" Skyler queried. "My dear, short-sighted darling. There is something you can do about it. There is, you have just not tried it yet."   
She was ashamed of the tears streaming down her face, angry over the hurt that welled up inside her as he stood up and leaned over her, gently touching her brow. She felt his hand there – the familiar yet agonizing pressure.

"What?" she breathed, watching him, wishing for him to leave with as much vigour as she wished for him to hold her, kiss her, make love to her…

He smiled and bent closer still.

"Let someone in," he whispered. "Share your pain and open your heart. There is still love left in this world and a lot of it for you."

She was still crying, painfully and desperately.

"Who?" she queried. "Who will bear this burden that you have left for me? Who will carry and fix what you had broken?"

He smiled at her, despite what she said and gently leaned over as if to kiss her.

"Them…" he whispered softly, and disappeared just as the door opened…

&&&

Jade was the first to enter the room, and the first to notice that Skyla was crying. It was the first time in almost 24 hours that she saw her conscious, and it was quite a shock. Surprised, she motioned to the others to wait and carefully entered the room, her heart aching for the woman.

"Dame Skyla?" she queried. "Dame Skyla… what's wrong? I'm… Should I call the nurse?"

The woman, who had a pale thin hand pressed against her temple, moved her hand over her eyes and shook her head.

"It's… It's okay Jade," she managed. "I'm… Sorry."

Jade glanced at her fellow students who were hovering in the door and carefully approached the bed.

"It's okay to cry," she said gently. "It must hurt." She moved until she was at Skyla's head.  
The woman nodded, her hand still pressed against her face.

Jade touched her elbow uncertain. "Should I call a doctor?"

Skyla shook her head, not removing her hand.

"He can't fix it," she said. "Nobody can." She became silent, still refusing to look at Jade. The raven haired young woman's heart ached with the urge to reach out to the woman but her words might as well have been: Back off.  
She sighed and stepped back.

"I'll leave you," she said. "I'm sorry Dame Skyla. I'm so sorry."

The sky queen's reaction was not what she expected.

"No…" she whispered suddenly. "No Jade. Please. Just… stay. All of you. At the door. Just stay. I can not bear…" She was quiet until the others were in the room and Jade had stepped back up to the bed and took the hand from Skyla's face. "He left me again." She whispered then, softly – painfully. "He will always leave me. Always."

Jade could say nothing to that, but carefully squeezed her hand.

"We won't," she said with conviction, getting agreeing nods from her friends as they also joined Skyla's bedside, each touching her gently and carefully. "We'll stay. For as long as you need us."

Skyla did not look at them and rather closed her eyes. After a few moment's of silence she finally squeezed jade's hand and sighed deeply.

"My Sky Dancers," she whispered softly, drifting away again. "My dear, dear Sky Dancers."

&&&

And, from a distance a man watched.

"Heal now my pet," he said softly. "Hold onto them and heal. They will not forsake you. They will carry you where I can't. Heal my pet. They will have that power and gift if you hold onto them. The gift to make you whole, the power to support you where I can not."  
There was a long silence as he watched them, aching to join them but knowing that he couldn't. Then, finally – feeling the powers that held him draw him back, he closed his eyes and disappeared.

FIN – Save the Last Dance.

&&&

_AN: Alright, I realise that Skyler's not exactly dead but using this perception worked better for me in this fic. So, three days, one story. One ending I'm not exactly pleased with but this is the best I could come up with. It feels a bit weak. There were several other versions, but this worked the best. Again, this does not link up with my other stories. I considered adding a bit in here at the bottom but then just decided to leave it in its totality. I hope this was readable and you enjoyed its content. Ending this now, I realise that there is one thing I must do.  
Order Sky Dancers via Amazon. It has been too long. _

_Have a great day and take care all! I hope to hear from you and receive a review for every hit count!  
Hugz to all._

Alyss. 

_Dedication: This story is dedicated to all who have felt pain. To all who have had to stay behind. All of those who were left behind. There is no remedy for a hole except to fill it, no real cure for pain except to share it until it is so diluted that it does not hurt anymore. _

_And, always, this story is dedicated to Arlene, whose laugh I will never forget. Whose smile will carry me, always. _


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